- Patrick Mille, Mon père de héros (My Father, The Hero), France, 1991. He returned down being the boyfriend of Gérard Depardieu’s daughter. ”The kid was not interesting enough. And,even at 15, I felt we’d work together some day. Indeed, years before were made the Marseille series, he called me about a project he wanted me for. Hearing his voice on my answer-phone was… amazing!” (Two years later, Depardieu made the Hollywood re-make of his film – a rare occurrence in the film world)
- Mathieu Kassovitz, La Haine, France, 1994. Up for his tenth movie, Magimel agaid said: Non, merci! He did’;t wanted trto shave his blond hair tp play a skinhead. OK, said Kassovitz, the breakingthrough actor-turn-auteur, I’ll be the gunned down skin – and I’ll knock oui something else for you. That proved to be a guy named… Benoit.
- Vincent Cassel, L’instinct de mort (US: Mesrine Part 1: Killer Instinct) , France-Canada-Italy, 2007, and Mesrine: L’ennemi public n°1 (US : Mesrine: Part II – Public Enemy #1), France-Canada, 2007.
In the 80s. the top French cops/robbers, Jean-Paul Belmoindo andf Alain Delon, were keen on filming the life of the notorious 70s’ French gangster, bank robber and killer Jacques Mesrine. However the first Mesrine in 1983 starred the unknown (then and nowe) Nicolas Silberg… Producer Thomas Langman (son of director Claude Berri) lavished more money on this two-movie version – however, Cassel refused the notion in 2001. Langman turned to Magime., who scoffed it was impossible. “With just four months’ preparation and my 68 kilos and my kiddy’s face, it would make no sense. Credibility is essential in any role for me.” One Paris legend then has Langman head-butting Magimel’s agent François Samuelson – breaking his nose on November 25 2004 – when the actor quit the project… in a Press release rather than in person. Then, to make matters worse, Magimel went off to make Inju: The Beast in the Shadow for director Barbet Schroeder, who had also fled the M project about gangster Jacques Mesrine – 1959-1979 bank robber, kidnapper, killer (39 victims, at least), who saw himself, bien sur, as an anarchist. Cassel changed his mind and signed on six years later. - Emmanuel Salinger Planetarium, France, 2016. Fully booked, Magimel could not be the Paris film producer contacting sisters Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny’s daughter) because they can communicate with ghosts – and he wants to film one. The girls wre fine but director Rebecca Zlotowski fell at every post. This did not stop Magimel taking a role in her next, far better opus, Une fllle facile (An Easy Girl),
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 4